Dying
Biblically, death plays a major role.
In the old testament time, animals were mostly mentioned not as gifts but as sacrifices. For atonement of Sin, guilt. Put to death sin was a large part of the old testament teaching.
In the new testament, lesser sacrifice (cos the one and only sacrifice was done) were performed. But now, the sacrifices of God became the death of self, of pride. Indeed, Paul says He dies daily, 1cr 15:31. (And i doubt that means he resurrects daily too). Paul, i believe, was talking about dying to self, about desires. About laying them down for the Lord, just dying daily.
Yet we fear death, both the physical, and the laying down of rights, of expectations, of dying to self daily. This is what God wants us to do, yet we fear it more than anything else. We fear to die to ourselves. We fear to place things on the altar. We fear to leave sin alone, because it maybe where we get our satisfaction from. We fear to leave our future in the hands of God, we fear to die our desires, our desires to control. We fear to die. We fear to sacrifice fully unto God.
But you know what, when I read about the sacrifices of the animals, of the sacrifice of Jesus, of the sacrifices that God calls us to do, to pride, to sin, to all that is not for him, to all that is for him also, there is one common thread. More than death. And that is life.
In every sacrifice, there is life. Jesus's sacrifice brought life. The animals sacrifice brought life as well. Ultimately, wth every death, there is life. There is life worth living. There is life.
I want to say this, with every sacrifice, there is death yes. But we almost always focus on the death, and we forget, that the reason for the sacrifice, is so that life may take place. Is so that life may come out, and come out abundantly.
I want to sacrifice my life for God, to live every moment for him, to realy lay it down and bear his cross, in the hope and faith that He gives life. But even if he does not deliver me, even if he does not bless me in the fashion i want, God is still good.
In the old testament time, animals were mostly mentioned not as gifts but as sacrifices. For atonement of Sin, guilt. Put to death sin was a large part of the old testament teaching.
In the new testament, lesser sacrifice (cos the one and only sacrifice was done) were performed. But now, the sacrifices of God became the death of self, of pride. Indeed, Paul says He dies daily, 1cr 15:31. (And i doubt that means he resurrects daily too). Paul, i believe, was talking about dying to self, about desires. About laying them down for the Lord, just dying daily.
Yet we fear death, both the physical, and the laying down of rights, of expectations, of dying to self daily. This is what God wants us to do, yet we fear it more than anything else. We fear to die to ourselves. We fear to place things on the altar. We fear to leave sin alone, because it maybe where we get our satisfaction from. We fear to leave our future in the hands of God, we fear to die our desires, our desires to control. We fear to die. We fear to sacrifice fully unto God.
But you know what, when I read about the sacrifices of the animals, of the sacrifice of Jesus, of the sacrifices that God calls us to do, to pride, to sin, to all that is not for him, to all that is for him also, there is one common thread. More than death. And that is life.
In every sacrifice, there is life. Jesus's sacrifice brought life. The animals sacrifice brought life as well. Ultimately, wth every death, there is life. There is life worth living. There is life.
I want to say this, with every sacrifice, there is death yes. But we almost always focus on the death, and we forget, that the reason for the sacrifice, is so that life may take place. Is so that life may come out, and come out abundantly.
I want to sacrifice my life for God, to live every moment for him, to realy lay it down and bear his cross, in the hope and faith that He gives life. But even if he does not deliver me, even if he does not bless me in the fashion i want, God is still good.
posted by W | Monday, March 19, 2007
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